swoop

American  

[swoop] / swup /

verb (used without object)

1. to sweep through the air, as a bird or a bat, especially down upon prey.

2. to come down upon something in a sudden, swift attack (often followed by down and on orupon ).

   The army swooped down on the town.

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verb (used with object)

1. to take, lift, scoop up, or remove with or as with one sweeping motion (often followed by up, away, oroff ).

   He swooped her up in his arms.

noun

1. an act or instance of swooping; a sudden, swift descent.

   Synonyms:

   drop, sweep, plunge, dive

idioms

1. at / in one fell swoop, all at once or all together, as if by one blow.

   The quake flattened the houses at one fell swoop.

swoop British  

/ swuːp /

verb

1. (intr; usually foll by down, on, or upon) to sweep or pounce suddenly

2. (tr; often foll by up, away, or off) to seize or scoop suddenly

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noun

1. the act of swooping

2. a swift descent

swoop More Idioms  

1. see one fell swoop.

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Etymology

Origin of swoop

1535–45; variant (with close ō ) of Middle English swopen, Old English swāpan to sweep ¹; cognate with German schweifen

Explanation

To swoop is to move downward quickly and dramatically, like an eagle that swoops down to catch its prey. A swoop is an impressive movement best demonstrated by a bird. If a bird is high in the air, then moves down quickly, making an arc or loop, that's an example of a swoop. People can also swoop — three muggers might swoop in on a victim, for example. The phrase "one fell swoop" means "all at once," and Shakespeare used it first, in "Macbeth:" "What, All my pretty Chickens, and their Dam, At one fell swoop?"

Example Sentences

As a recently fledged bird hops around on the ground, unfamiliar choughs swoop down and gently herd it away to join them—that’s how desperate these birds are for helpers.

From Slate • May 10, 2026

And at the end of the night, here comes Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor to honk twice, open the passenger door, and swoop you off to get some burgers and fries.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

A team of Navy divers will then help the astronauts out of the capsule, and Navy helicopters will swoop in to recover them.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The stunning operation saw US forces swoop in by helicopter under cover of darkness and seize Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from a highly secured compound in the Venezuelan capital on January 3.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

When he relaxes his spine and sinks to the stones again, the people around me swoop in.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

Related Words

• dive
• plummet
• pounce